National Theatre Act 1949

1949 CHAPTER 16

An Act to authorise the Treasury to contribute towards the cost of a national theatre, and for purposes connected therewith.

[9th March 1949]

Whereas arrangements have been made between the Trustees of the Shakespeare Memorial Trust (in this Act referred to as " the Trustees") and the London County Council for reserving to the Trustees as a site for the erection of a national theatre by way of memorial to William Shakespeare, certain land in the borough of Lambeth belonging to the Council and for the transfer to the Council of certain land in the Royal Borough of Kensington previously acquired by the Trustees for the purpose aforesaid :

And whereas it is expedient to make provision for authorising the payment out of public funds of contributions towards the erection and equipment of such a theatre by the Trustees:

Be it therefore enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 Power of Treasury to contribute to cost of national theatre.

Upon the submission to the Treasury of a scheme satisfactory to them for the erection by the Trustees of such a theatre as aforesaid on the site reserved to them for the purpose in accordance with the said arrangements, and for the equipment and management thereof, the Treasury may undertake to make, and may make out of moneys provided by Parliament, upon such terms and subject to such conditions as they think fit, such contributions to the funds of the Trustees as they think fit (not exceeding one million pounds) in respect of the cost of erecting and equipping the theatre in accordance with the scheme.

2 Appointment of trustees of Shakespeare Memorial Trust.

(1) After the commencement of this Act no person shall be appointed as a new or additional trustee of the Shakespeare Memorial Trust unless his appointment is approved by the Treasury.

(2) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (6) of section thirty-six of the [15 & 16 Geo. 5. c. 19.] Trustee Act, 1925, the number of trustees of the said Trust may be increased by virtue of appointments made under that subsection up to seven and appointments may be made thereunder notwithstanding that the number of trustees of the Trust for the time being exceeds three.

3 Short title.

This Act may be cited as the National Theatre Act, 1949.